Legend of the Seraph:  Part 2
by Heart of Diamond
Summary: Sequel. Now traveling, Max is getting a reputation. When the group discover Erasers kidnaping kids, they must protect not only the children but the magic the Erasers are after. Max must learn how to lead, fly, trust and understand her emotions. Fax Niggy
1. New World

**Yo,**

**So the sequal to The Legend of the Seraph is now here! WHOOO! Joy. I honnestly really like this story. I didn't take this off the TV series, this is completely my own, but i might do a couple that are take off's from the TV series. If any one has some favourite episodes in the series, review and let me know and i might consider doing them. :)**

**No topic of the chap today. I figure you might just want to read it. :P**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox**

The Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 1: New World

I stood on a cliff. My hand was on Audacity, the other straight by my side. I let the power fill me, buzzing under my skin. I felt like I had been hit by lightning bolt and somehow I was magically storing it in my body.

The view was incredible. I could see everything for what seemed like forever. The hills rose and fell. In the distant sky, I could see a giant eagle beating its wings. It cried and it echoed into my ears. Clean and crisp as if it was standing beside me.

I breathed in closing my eyes and letting my wings fan out. The wind blew gently in my face and played with my feathers. I beat my wings carefully, letting them sway easily.

I jumped.

For a moment I let myself fall. Just falling, but I snapped my wings out a metre before the ground and there was a whoosh sound in my ear as my wings guided me back up.

I beat them carefully, smiling. This was the life. To fly, forever…

I sprung awake, sitting up. My eyes focused around the campsite. Jeb. Check. Fang. Check. Iggy drooling. Check. Horses, Fire, saddle bags. Check, check, check.

I sighed running a hand over my face. That's 3 days in a row. I've never had a dream like that before. Especially recurring ones.

I rolled my shoulders releasing my wings through the slits in my bodice. I stretched them out and closed them in again, thankful they weren't cramping up. The other night I had slept with them still tucked in my bodice. Jeb had to cast a muscle releasing spell to free them of stiffness.

That was lesson number 3.

We had been traveling for 3 days now and haven't been anywhere near a town yet. Fang said that by midday tomorrow we should be in sight of a town.

Of course, Jeb went on about the whole 'start small and work your way to the top' thing.

To be honest, I don't think I'm ready.

Something snapped to the right. I stared at it carefully. I was tempted to put the still-burning-well fire out, but I ignored it.

I silently stood up glancing at the two men and the wizard to see if they were awake. Nope. Jeb was lying on his back, head on a log. His hands were clasped calmly in front of him and his staff was laid neatly beside him. Fang was lying on his side, his cloak over his face. He almost looked invisible. Iggy on the other hand was like a pile of bones, sleeping in the most awkward position and snoring.

I picked up my cloak I had used as a blanket and swept it over my back. I tied it around my neck quickly and I picked up audacity who laid beside me in its sheath. The symbol on the sheath slowly beamed to life. Slowly and silently, I withdrew the sword, wincing slightly at the chime it made. I laid the sheath down.

My senses fired into overdrive. I caned my ears towards the area and sniffed the air. Not rabbit or fox. Human. Thankfully not Eraser, but still a human.

There were another snap of a twig. I paused slightly. A shuffle of leaves. They were moving to the right.

I pushed a branch back slightly. I stepped on the balls of my feet and where there were no leaves. I kept Audacity out in front of me.

My eyes scanned the darkness picking up any movement.

Something flashed to my right and I snapped my sword out in front of me. My eyes snapped around the dark trees searching for any movement.

_Calm yourself_, Jeb's words echoed in my head. We had done some practice in the past few days. I was thankful he hadn't mentioned anything about flying yet.

I breathed in and out steadily. I felt my heart rate go down and the grip on my sword softened. To my surprise the glow of the Seraph symbol on Audacity also reduced.

Maybe Audacity fed on tension as well as anger.

I stepped forward and another snap of a twig caught my attention. Followed by a whimper.

A child.

I lowered my sword and stepped through the trees. I scanned the forest and my eyes were draw to a small girl around 8 or so years old. She was hiding from something.

"Hey," I whispered.

The girl snapped her head around looking at me before backing off. She glanced at my sword nervously and clutched a blanket she had in her hands.

She looked hungry, not to mention exhausted. She looked like she hadn't slept for nights.

"It's ok," I breathed. "I won't hurt you. Look, I'll put my sword down."

I carefully laid Audacity on the ground, the glow on the symbol faded. The girl glanced at the sword before snapping her gaze to me.

"I'm Max," I said crouching on the balls of my feet. "What's your name?"

The girl stared at me. For a while she said nothing, looking at me up and down, judging if I was dangerous or not.

"Toni," the girl whispered looking away from me as if she was embarrassed.

I smiled. "It's good to meet you Toni, how old are you?"

Toni tucked her blanket under her arm and held up 7 fingers.

"Seven? Really? Wow you're such a big girl."

Toni nodded. "Mummy said I'm big enough to feed the chickens by myself."

I chuckled. "What are you doing out here Toni?"

Suddenly Toni shrivelled up, her eyes glancing around the woods carefully. I saw her shake.

I quickly stood up and made my way over to her. She surprised me by clinging to me. I frowned but rubbed her back soothingly.

"They… They took me away," Toni whispered.

"Who did?" I whispered.

"The E… Erasers," Toni whimpered.

I froze. Erasers? "Why did they want to take you?"

Toni began to cry on my shoulder. "Please don't let them take me again, Max. Please, please…"

"Shhh," I whispered calmingly. "It's ok. You're safe with me."

Toni just kept crying. I glanced around. Someone could be nearby. I had to calm her down.

"Hey Toni," I whispered. "Do you want me to show you something?"

Toni pulled back rubbing her eyes tiredly. I smiled and carefully fanned my wings out.

Toni's eyes widened and she gasped. Her eyes were full of wonder as she reached out and touched my downing feathers with her finger trips.

"Are you an Angel?" Toni asked in wonder. She looked at me as if I was glowing like a Firelight.

I chuckled. "I am."

Toni's eyes fell on my shoulder. I glanced at it and sighed. They Seraph symbol shone brightly through the cotton. I rolled up my shirt sleeve.

The Symbol shone brightly in the dark night. The white glow was a single spiral with a dot in the centre or universally known as the Seraph Symbol.

"It's beautiful," Toni whispered touching the glowing skin delicately as if it would break.

"It is," I agreed. At first I thought it was an ugly scar, but now it was a representation of who I was and I was honoured to have it now.

"Are you going to save us?" Toni whispered.

I frowned, but before I could get a word out, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I snapped my head around to see Fang leaning against the tree his cloak swaying in the slight breeze. His expression was almost curious.

Sheena flew around him in a series of figure eights. Soft calm murmurs filled the air as she flew over to us. Toni grinned.

"A Firelight!" She cried. "Pretty."

Sheena circled Toni and I before flying back over to Fang. Toni finally noticed the Shadow leaning against the tree. She gasped and clutched me again.

I sighed. "It's ok. This is Fang. He's is with me."

Toni raised her hand to my ear. "He's scary," Toni whispered loudly.

Fang's lips twitched slightly.

"I know right?" I whispered loudly back. "Wait until you see his warts."

If looks could kill, I would be well and truly up in flames by now.

Toni giggled.

I smiled, taking Toni's hand and standing up. "You must be hungry. I bet we could get Iggy to cook something up."

Toni nodded. "I am hungry."

Fang pushed himself off the wall and reached down picking my sword up off the ground. He handed it to me and I took it from him silently. Toni glanced at Fang. "Are you an Angel too?"

Fang chuckled lightly, ruffling the girl's hair. "No. Sorry."

Toni frowned looking at me. "Are you the only Angel, Max?"

I nodded. "Yep. I'm the only one."

"Thank the spirits," Fang muttered.

I rolled my eyes. I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.

Fang led the way back to the camp, Sheena tagging behind him. Toni lagged behind so eventually I picked her up and put her on my hip.

By the time we had reached the camp, Toni was sound asleep breathing softly on my shoulder. I smiled slightly. It was good to see that she had calmed down.

Fang glanced back at me and without hesitation he untied his cloak and laid it on the ground. "Put her here."

I carefully laid her down on the ground. Toni shifted slightly but she remained asleep. I carefully wrapped Fang's coat around her.

I took Audacity's sheath off the ground and tied it to my belt before slipping Audacity into it. Fang sat himself on a log beside the fire and I moved to sit beside him. I watched Fang pull Sheena's pouch from his belt and pull it open. Sheena circled the little bag before diving in.

I looked back at the little girl, curled up in Fang's cloak. I frowned in thought. She had said someone took her away. But who and why?

I sure as hell intended to find out.

Fang sighed. "You're not going to let this go are you."

It was a statement not a question. Fang and I seemed to know each other as if we had been twins separated at birth. We seemed to know exactly what each other was thinking.

"No."

There was silence.

"You know you have more important things to worry about that a little girl losing her way in the woods," Fang said picking up a stick and poking the coals in the fire.

"She didn't lose her way," I whispered. "The Erasers had taken her and she managed to escape."

Fang frowned. "Slavery?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't think so, otherwise, she should have cuffs."

Fang hummed resting his knuckles on his lips and his chin on his palm. Finally he sighed. "It's late, let's just deal with this in the morning."

"I think I should keep watch for a while," I said looking around the camp hesitantly. "Just in case they try to come back for her."

Fang's face was blank, but I could see he agreed with me. "Alright. Wake me up a few hours before dawn and I'll take watch until the sun rises."

I nodded.

I watched Fang make his way over to where he had been sleeping. I frowned at the ground. I knew Erasers took children away when the villages wouldn't pay their taxes, but now I was wondering where the children went. Surely they wouldn't kill them. They would be losing generations of people if they did that.

I was defiantly going to get to the bottom of this.

And Jeb was going to use this for lesson number 4, 5, 6 and 7.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxoo**

**So, whatcha think? :) REVIEW!**


	2. Eerie Town

**Yo,**

**So, life is awesome. My first yr 12 exam in 2 weeks. AHHH! Am i freaked out? Yes. Duh! But hey, I think I'm ready for the challenge. It's going to be exciting.**

**BTW, I've been reading some 'National Treasure' fanfics lately, and I'm kinda adicted. :P So I'm writing a National Treasure fanfic. Awesome right? So topic of the chapter. If i post this story, would you guys read it or just ignore?**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 2: Eerie Town

Jeb didn't seem all that surprised to see Toni curled up in Fang's blanket. In fact, Jeb never seemed surprised about anything.

Iggy on the other hand seemed to have formed an instant attachment to the girl. That didn't surprise me. Toni was only a few years older than Iggy's own daughter.

"Erasers took her?" Iggy said horrified. "Why?"

I glanced at Fang, who equally shared a glance back at me. I sighed. "I think it might have something to do with the taxes but I don't know."

Iggy nodded. "Do you think that she came from the town close by? Wintervalley was it?"

"It's possible," Fang said. "We'll ask her when she wakes up."

Jeb hummed. "Trod easy with her, the girl has been through much."

I nodded. "We should prepare to journey to Wintervalley. I say we visit the girl's home first... if she lives there of course."

Without a word, Fang stood up walked over to the horses. Iggy followed him. Jeb patted my arm in a calming fashion.

"Try not to take this too much to the heart, Max," Jeb warned. "This will not be the only town who have suffered under Lord Garth's rule."

I nodded. "I understand."

"Lesson 4…"

"Right, here we go."

Jeb chuckled. "In any battle, mentally preparing is just as good as physically preparing."

I thought it through. "That… makes sense, I guess. Preparing for death."

"No. Not necessarily," Jeb side resting against his staff. "Sometimes witnessing death or being the cause of death is worse than death itself. It's a simple case of having the guilt of the survivor."

I seriously didn't like this conversation. Thankfully, out of my peripheral vision, I saw Toni shift under Fang's cloak.

"Max?"

Jeb smiled as I turned away from him. I walked over to Toni and sat down on the dirt beside her. "Hey Toni, how you feeling?"

Toni sat up, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand and gripping her blanket in the other. She looked around the camp and tensed at the sight of the unfamiliar people.

"It's ok," I said quickly. "They're friends too. They're coming with us."

"I'm Jeb," Jeb said introducing him before gesturing to Iggy who was strapping his horse. "And this is Iggy."

Iggy gave a quick wave.

Toni glanced at me. "Are you still an Angel?"

I chuckled and unfolded my wings slightly from under neither my cloak. Toni grinned but it faded into a frown. "Can you fly?"

"No, she can't," Iggy said putting out the fire with some water. "She's afraid of heights."

I blushed and glared. Iggy shrugged.

Toni seemed confused. "Afraid of heights? I'm not afraid of heights. I can climb to the tallest tree in my house. I can teach you…"

"Ok," I said cutting over. "You hungry? I'm sure we have some spare strips of meat. Ig?"

Iggy grumbled and walked over to the saddle bags of his horse.

I helped Toni stand and picked up Fang's cloak, shaking off the leaves and twigs. "Tony, we are going to take you home today. Where do you live?"

"In Wintervalley," Toni said in a whisper. "Mummy and daddy own a medicine shop."

I nodded handing Fang his cloak. "Would you know which one it was if we took you there?"

Toni nodded furiously. Fang swung his cloak over his shoulder. "Is she going to ride with you?"

"Yeah," I smirked. "Jealous."

Fang scoffed. "You wish."

I just smiled, but for a second there was an awkward silence.

Because maybe there was a part of me that did wish…

"Which horse is yours, Max?" Toni asked. "Can she fly too?"

I shook my head, but brought my fingers to my lips and whistled. Maya's head shot up from munching on the ground, her ears flicked up. She trotted over towards me, lowering her head to nudge my chest.

Toni stared at Maya with deep admiration. I smiled. "Ok, ready, one, two, three!"

I lifted Toni up onto the saddle, before climbing on after her. "You hold onto the front of the saddle ok?" I said as I gripped Maya's reins.

"Ok," Toni said.

I turned Maya around to face the others. Jeb climbed onto his horse. Fang was already on his, waiting for the rest of us. Iggy trotted over and handed Toni a couple of strips of meat. Toni took it graciously. "Thank you."

Iggy chuckled. "You're most welcome."

Fang trotted to the other side of me. "Do you want me to lead?"

I nodded. "Wintervalley."

Fang just sighed.

* * *

><p>The trip was reasonably flat, but due to the tight over growth of the path, we couldn't travel any faster than a trot. Maya was defiantly annoyed by this.<p>

Toni spent most of the trip trying to find the best way to eat the rock hard beef strips. The rest of the time she remained quiet.

When the path joined a main road, we pushed the horses into a canter. Toni laughed and maintained her balance quiet well on the horse.

Fang pulled his horse up on the outskirts of the town. "Erasers."

I pulled up beside him. Sure enough Erasers were exiting the town on a cart. Without hesitation, I flicked the hood over my head and concealed my sword and shoulders with my cloak. Toni glanced at me, but I singled her to remain quiet.

Fang also flicked his hood over. I could sense his concern. He hadn't taken any energy from anyone for a while so it would be dangerous for him to use his force powers.

We slowed the horses to a trot. The Eraser cart moved steadily without a second glance from the driver.

My eyes caught another pair of eyes. A boy about 10 years old. He gripped the bars of the cage, his eyes begging to be released.

There were at least 15 kids in the cage. Some crying, others clutching each other.

They were just kids.

My eyes followed the cart. I just let it go. I just let it drive by as if I didn't care. I could stop it.

"Focus on the task at hand Max," Jeb said on his horse behind me.

I forced myself to turn away from the cart and look down at Toni. Come on Max. Concentrate. Task at hand.

Toni glanced at me. I could feel the stiffness in her posture. "Are they going to get me again?" She whispered.

I gripped her hand. "No. They won't."

Fang pulled up as we hit the main street and dismounted his horse before tying it to a post. I didn't say anything as I dismounted mine. I just couldn't let go of the sickness in my stomach.

I didn't tie Maya to the post. I left her harness hanging, just in case something happened.

I lifted Toni from the saddle and settled her beside me. Iggy lead his horse and tied it to the post beside mine. He gave me a hesitant glance. "Are you ok?"

I didn't say anything. Mainly because I didn't want to hurt Toni.

Iggy patted my shoulder. He knew how hard it must be for me. To see Erasers get away with things like that and knowing that there is nothing you can do… it's horrible.

Jeb tied his horse next to mine and withdrew his staff. He muttered a few words and the staff shimmered becoming a mere wooden staff. The stone was hidden and the feathers and smaller stones on the leather strips disappeared.

I gripped Toni's hand as I walked. Fang paused so we could catch up before we made our way through the main street.

It was like a ghost town.

Women were crying in the streets. Devastated from the loss of their children. Men wandered around the streets with a distant lost look in their eyes. There was no laughter, no children running up and down the roads. The shops were open, but no one was visiting them.

It seemed like a wealth town too. From the double story shops and the wealthy looking clothes, I could already tell this wasn't a town that didn't pay their taxes.

But the Erasers were everywhere. Walking down the street. Kicking random people who were unlucky to be walking by at the time. My fist remained clenched, but I was thankful that none of the Erasers considered us out of the ordinary.

"Sadness has fallen upon this town," Jeb said softly, praying. "May the spirits bring the children home."

I breathed in and out. The sadness was defiantly getting to me. I couldn't stand the way people just seemed to lose all hope.

Toni gripped my hand tighter. "There's my Mum!"

"Shhh," I whispered. But Toni pointed to a woman standing on the veranda of a shop.

I glanced around to see if there were any Erasers around, but when I saw the coast was clear, I let go of Toni's hand and shoved her towards the veranda.

Toni didn't hesitate. She ran towards the woman. "Mummy!"

The woman snapped her head up. I believed that in all my life I will never see more happiness in someone's eyes than I could see in this woman's. The way her eyes lit up, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

"Toni?" The woman said in both surprise and joy. Toni wrapped her hands around her mother's legs.

"Mummy, I missed you," Toni said in her mother's dress.

"Oh, Toni," Toni's mother cooed, picking her daughter up and hugging her warmly.

Toni gave a quick hug before pulling back and pointing to us. "I made new friends Mummy."

Toni's mother glanced at us. Her eyes were full of thanks before a flash of fear appeared across her face. She clutched Toni tightly glancing down the street.

To my surprise she gestured for us to follow her.

Iggy glanced at me, but I didn't meet his gaze. I walked quickly following, the others on my heel. Toni's mother pulled back the door and gestured for us to come inside. Once we were all in the small shop, she closed the door and bolted it with a wooden plank.

"Oh, Toni, I can't believe your home," Toni's mother said still overcome with joy. She glanced at us. "How did you save her?"

I glanced at Fang, but he gestured that I take the lead. I bit my lip. "Toni escaped by herself. We found her in the woods near out camp."

"Mummy, mummy!" Toni said excitedly. "Max is an Angel!"

I stiffened. Fang froze beside me and Iggy had his hand itching towards his sword. Jeb seemed calm as always. It was like he could predict the future or something.

Toni's mother glanced at me. I hesitated giving a glance at Jeb. He seemed as hesitant as I was.

"Show Mum Max," Toni grinned. "Show Mum your wings!"

Toni's mother looked at her daughter. "Toni, I don't think Max wants…"

"No, it's ok," I said quietly. I shrugged my shoulders and let my wings out of my bodice. I shock them slightly and the bones cracked.

Toni's mother's hand snapped to her mouth and her eyes widened. "The Seraph."

Ah, great. Fame was just what I need.

I tucked my wings back under my cloak. "Yeah."

"Do you own the symbol?" Toni's mother asked softly.

I smiled and rolled up my sleeve. The Seraph symbol shone brightly. The woman gasped and Toni grinned.

Toni's mother shook her head shaking away her shock. "Forgive me. It's rude to stare. My name is Cassandra, but please, call me Cassie."

I nodded my head. "It's good to meet you Cassie. I'm Max and this is Fang, Iggy and Jeb."

Cassie smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, truly. I owe you my life bringing Toni back to me."

"Do you mind telling us what happened here?" Fang asked.

Cassie hesitated. She took a deep breath in and out before glancing around the shop again as if an Eraser was going to pop up at any moment.

"A few weeks ago, the Erasers came out of nowhere," Cassie said clutching her daughter. "They just charged down the street and snatched our children up. None of us understood why. When we asked they used the excuse that we weren't paying our taxes. But we were, Seraph. Honestly, we paid our taxes and never complained about them being ridiculously high."

"They kept coming back, sometimes after a few days other time they came back the very next day," Cassie whispered. She was scared of being over heard. "Toni was taken two days ago. Now there are hardly any children left in the whole town."

"Where are the last of the children?" Jeb asked.

Cassie's eyes turned sad. "7 of them evacuated with two of the towns elders. The town has been haunted ever since…"

Cassie had no time to continue. The doors crashed open.

Without hesitation, I whipped out Audacity and pushed Cassie and Toni behind me. 4 Erasers stepped in before a head guard stepped forward. I held my sword out in front of me.

The head Eraser grinned. "Well, what do we have here?"

**xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxox**

**OH! CLIFF HANGER! Ok, not really. We all know Max can kick ass! REVIEW!**


	3. Legend Revealed

**Yo!**

**I've started readin Merlin Fanfics. God, they are so addictive. I could read them forever... well some of them. :P I'm thinking i might write a Melin fic aswell. Expand my Genre.**

**Topic of the month. White chocolate or Milk. I personally like both, but for the sake of the question, I choose Milk chocolate. :)**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xxoxoxoxoxooxooxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The Legend of The Seraph

Chapter 3: Legend Revealed

My mind went on over drive. 5 Erasers on 4 of us. That seemed good odds.

But Fang needed energy.

"FANG!" I shouted.

With a swish of my foot, I separated one of the Erasers from the rest of the group and kicked him towards Fang. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang grab the Eraser's head, hands on his temple.

Fang and Eraser sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S…

Concentrate Max. You have other things to worry about.

The head Eraser charged at me. I swung my sword up to spare him easily. He roared as he raised his sword up, but I kicked him in the chest and he flew outside.

There was a flash of lightning to my right and an Eraser collapsed to the ground. Iggy stabbed the third Eraser and knocked the forth out with the head of his sword.

Outside the Head Eraser scrambled to stand up. I ran out the door and jumped off the veranda. A small crowd gathered around the house. Erasers from up the street were running over to help.

The Head Eraser growled at me. I shared an equal growl back, feeding my anger slowly into Audacity.

The glowing symbol on the blade lit up like a starting fire.

Like a whisper in the wind, murmurs of confusion lifted from the crowd around me.

The Eraser saw the sword clearly for the first time. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "The Seraph."

The whisper in the wild lifted to a full on gale force. Like a hiss the word Seraph slithered through the crowd.

Fang jumped off the porch and landed beside me. "Iggy is getting Toni and Cassie out of here."

"GUARDS!" The Head Eraser shouting. He couldn't hide the slight fear in his voice. "GET HER!"

People shouted as they were pushed aside and thrown onto the ground. Erasers charged at Fang and I.

Fang and I stood back to back. I gripped my sword tightly.

I swung my sword around, my senses firing. I could feel their actions and every step they took. I kept my teeth gritted and my wings naturally flared out from under my cloak, balancing me onto my toes.

"KEMLA!" Fang shouted. I could hear the energy rippling though the air, as the Erasers were thrown backwards.

I there was a lightning flash to my right and citizens screamed.

Two Erasers charged at once. I blocked the first, whipping around and blocking the second. With a swift kick of my foot, one as on the ground. I felt the second Eraser lift his sword up behind me, but I snapped my wings out, knocking him in the face.

There was silence. My senses were still firing as I scanned the terrified crowd. Each one of them was generally scared and I was thankful none of them were Erasers.

The rest of the Erasers down the end of the street seemed to guess that there was no way they could beat us. I watched them climb onto their Omega's and ride off.

I breathed in and out like Jeb had taught me. Gradually the senses weakened and I felt myself come back from the animal rage I was in.

I began to breathe heavily. Hell, that was exhausting.

Fang came over. Of course, he was perfectly fine with all the new energy he had with him. He tucked his knifes in the sheaths on his shins and looked at me. "Are you ok?"

I nodded. I sheathed Audacity and tucked my wings back in.

There was still silence.

Well, this is awkward.

One of the Erasers shifted slightly. I grabbed the collar of his mail coat and brought him to my face. "Where are you taking the children?" I snarled.

The Eraser spat on my face. I growled wiping it off and was about to grab Audacity and plunge it through his stomach when Fang stopped me.

"Wait," He said.

I frowned at him, but Fang placed a hand on the Erasers forehead. "Simith," He whispered.

The Eraser screamed in pain. Fang remained as calm and blank faced as ever. "Answer her."

"OK! Ok," the Eraser heaved. "They are taking the children to Mystic."

"Why?" I asked.

The Eraser growled. "You can both go to…"

"Simith!" Fang snarled. The Eraser screamed again, in absolute agony.

"THE 2ND GENERAL WAS TOLD BY LORD GARTH TO MINE FOR SOMETHING!" The Eraser screamed. Fang pealed his hand off the Erasers forehead. The Eraser's head flopped down.

An angry murmur rose up in the crowd.

"You sent our children to a mine?" Someone shouted.

"We should kill him!" another screamed.

An uproar boomed in the crowd.

"WAIT!" I shouted. The crowd fell still and silent. I blink. Whoa… that was quick.

I turned to the Eraser. "What are they mining for?"

The Eraser shook his head. "I don't know."

I glanced at Fang. He gave me an impassive expression, but his eyes told me that he could see this man was telling the truth.

I let the man drop to the ground. He fell on his knees and clutched his head. Fang drew his knife up and plunged it into the man's spine.

Instant death.

I winced slightly before looking at Fang. "Do you know where The Town of Mystic is?"

He shook his head.

I turned to the villages. "Does anyone know where The Town of Mystic is?"

"I do," Said an old skinny man. He stepped forward.

"Will you take us there?" I asked.

The man looked at me hesitantly. "I will take you, but I need to know what you are first."

I hesitated. The villages seemed to agree. I knew I wasn't going to get their trust if I kept this secret from them.

I glanced at Jeb for support. He seemed to hesitate too, before nodding.

I turned back to the villages. "I'm the Seraph."

The crowd erupted with gasps and murmurs. I felt like rolling my eyes. Was this gossip heaven or something?

"That's impossible!" Someone shouted.

"She's telling the truth!" Jeb boomed.

The skinny old man stared at me in utter shock. "But the Legend of the Seraph is nothing but a folk tale. A myth."

"Where is your proof?" A woman cried.

"She carries the Seraph sword and has been gifted wings from the sprits!" Fang said slight anger on the edge of his voice. "You all know the Legend! How much more proof do you need?"

I rolled up my sleeve, causing another wave of gasps in the crowd. My Seraph symbol shone brightly on my skin.

The old man held out his hand, admiration blooming in his face. "Simon Delouse. Head councillor, at your service, Seraph."

I sighed. Fang snickered silently beside me. I grasped Simon's forearm. "Please call me Max. This is Fang and Jeb."

Simon let my arm go and nodded to the two men. "It's an honour."

Jeb nodded his head. His staff was back to its normal wizard staff look. Fang crossed his arms studying Simon carefully.

"I'll go find Iggy," Fang said softly, touching my arm briefly with his fingers. I nodded.

Jeb stepped forward leaning on his staff. "What do you know about The Town of Mystic?"

Simon sighed. "Mystic is a day's walk from here. A horrible place. About 500 years ago, there was once a great city that lived there. A village of the Wizards and wizard families. It was rich with magic and wealth. Lord Garth's servants stormed the place though, killing men, women and children before burning the town to ruins. Over the years the magic of the city died covering the whole town in a layer of ash."

I turned to Jeb. "What could Lord Garth possibly want from a ruined city?"

Jeb frowned. "I'm not sure."

The crowd still seemed in shock at the sight of me. They whispered to one another and the word Seraph hissed through the murmuring crowd.

Simon glanced at the two of us. "When will we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Jeb said. "We need to be able to get a good layout of the mine and camp at Mystic before we can make an attack. How long will it take to get there galloping?"

Simon frowned. "3 hours, give or take if we don't stop."

I looked at Jeb. "We should assess the camp in the day. It will be dangerous, but we'll get a better view of the camp."

Jeb nodded, humming slightly. There was a pat of shoes on the veranda. I turned around to see Iggy, Toni, Cassie and Fang standing there.

Cassie gasped in shock at the sight of the dead Erasers and clutched Toni to her. Fang leant against the veranda post looking very much like a shadow.

Iggy skipped down the veranda steps and stood beside me. He didn't say anything though. His anger towards the Erasers for kidnapping his children was radiating off him.

"Saddle your horse," I said to Simon. "Then meet us out at the north end of the town."

The villagers all came up to me, giving my blessings. To be honest, I was overwhelmed and becoming seriously claustrophobic.

Fang had this smirk on his face the whole time, resulting for me to send him pointless glares towards him.

Knuckle head.

The villagers drifted off, returning to their mournful stage, but it was different than before. There was a small sense of hope that drifted in the air. They bowed and nodded to me as I walked past them.

"They're treating me like I'm a king, Jeb," I whispered.

Jeb placed a hand on my shoulder. "As the Seraph, you not only give the people courage, but you also give them hope. Hope of riding out the evil in the Southern Lands."

"But I haven't done anything yet," I said.

Jeb chuckled. "It doesn't matter. People know the Legend. Your existence proves the Legend is real and there is a chance you will do great things."

I was quiet for a few seconds, before I shook my head. "I still don't understand."

Jeb smiled at me. "You will. Consider that Lesson number 4."

"5. You were up to Lesson number 5," I said in monotone. Stupid lessons.

Jeb merely chuckled.

I seriously hoped he wasn't going to test me on these lessons. He can't even remember them himself.

When we got to the horses, I walked straight to Maya. She lifted her head and I stroked her nose. "We're off again Maya," I whispered.

Maya snorted. I patted her neck before climbing onto her back swinging my cloak over Maya's back.

Fang climbed on his horse beside me. I stared at him. He caught my gaze and frowned. "What?"

"What did you do to that Eraser?" I asked.

Fang sighed, re-gripping his reins in his hands. "Do you know why Shadows are only a selective number of people?"

I shook my head.

"Well, we are special because we are able to store a great number of energy into our body. Some say it's almost endless. Normal people, even Wizards, can only hold a certain amount of energy, known as personal energy. If a normal person holds too much energy, it's incredibly painful."

Fang could talk a lot when he wanted to, that was for sure.

"So you pushed energy into the Eraser causing him pain," I said. Ouch. That doesn't sound good.

Fang smirked slightly. "Normally we aren't supposed to torture people, but… an Eraser is usually an exception."

"Just don't go trying it on me," I warned. "Or I'll cut your hand off."

Fang snorted. "Trust me. I wouldn't dare."

I wonder what that meant…

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox**

**Like? Hate? Please Please REVIEW!**


	4. Assessment

**Yo!**

**You know what? Christmas is coming up. I love christmas. Maybe i'll get the bookcase i asked for 4 years ago. *snickers* I seem to get everything but the only things i want. Books and a bookcase. Though i have to admit, i'm the hardest person to buy a book for. Most likely i have already read it or i already have it.**

**I'm into Sherlock Holmes at the moment, so I'm making it the topic of the chapter. Tell me, has anyone read the books. I've put it on my list of what i want for christmas, so don't spoil anything. I've recently watched the new (well, 2010 new) TV show called 'Sherlock' and it's bloody brilliant. God i love it. There are only 3 episodes in the series, but they each go for an hour and a half. I've watched them over and over again, because they are just THAT good!**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 4: Assessment

Once Simon joined us at the Northern end of the town, we immediately began to ride off. He led us through the thick forest beside Wintervalley, taking us down a quick wide path. Simon's horse wasn't strong enough for a gallop, but we travelled at a decent canter.

I rode behind Simon with Fang behind me followed by Iggy and Jeb. Everyone road in silence.

My mind was else where the whole ride. I couldn't help but think of those kids being forced to mine… something. What were they mining? That was a question they definitely needed to consider.

It was some time before Simon slowed his horse down at the edge of the forest. I pulled up beside him as he dismounted his horse.

"It's best if we walk from here," Simon said pulling his own sword from his horse. "Mystic isn't far."

I nodded. I whispered to Maya to stay and she snorted in reply. Fang, Jeb and Iggy on the other hand tied their horses to the trees.

Once we were all set, Simon beckoned us to follow him. Without a word of argument, we trailed behind him.

"Do you trust this guy Max?" Iggy whispered in my ear.

"His village is dying Ig," I uttered. "That alone tells me I can trust him… and besides, he doesn't seem to be lying."

"What? Your Seraph senses aren't tingling?" Iggy mocked quietly.

I rolled my eyes, but dismissed the mockery.

The forest disappeared and before us was open field. A hill rose upwards steeply, but Simon kept going. Once he reached the top, he suddenly ducked in alarm and shuffled downhill slightly.

Instinctively I ducked with him, bending low in the long grass.

"They are everywhere," Simon whispered almost to himself. "Oh my god."

He sat down on the grass raising a shaking hand to his mouth. The look on his face almost resembled a man who had seen a ghost.

I crouched down and belly crawled until I could see over the hill. Fang and Iggy curled up beside me.

My mouth fell open at what I saw.

A large and deep open cut mine lay before the hill. Erasers were swarming the place like ants around a nest. It looked almost like a crater with the sides so steep it would be impossible to get out.

But the width was incredible. I hadn't seen many mines before, but this was at least 40 if not 50 houses across. As far as I could see there was only one entrance and it was heavily guarded by Erasers. Massive metal doors stood at the entrance.

"Oh my god," Iggy said in utter disbelief.

Fang shock his head sadly. "This is a sad fate for an already cursed place."

I nodded.

Fang turned to me. "Can you see anything?"

I placed my hand on the sword. A rush of senses came to me and I breathed out letting my body adjust.

_Focus on a particular sense to get its full potential. _Jeb's teaching rang through my ear. I breathed in and out again, blocking out my sense of smell, feeling and taste. Of course, I was still a little rusty, but my eye sight and my hearing did enhance.

I focused in on the mine. There were at least 20 Erasers at the entrance gate their swords on their hips. Not to mention the 30 or so archers that stood around the edge of the mine.

But it wasn't the sights that disturbed me the most.

It was the sounds.

The hundreds of picks hitting stone. In small clicks. Hitting in an undefinable pattern. The shouts from Erasers. Orders to work harder, stronger, but the worst would have to be the whimpering from kids.

Cries, sobs, sniffs. Small prayers. Whimpers. It was almost unbearable to hear.

I pulled my hand off Audacity closing my eyes to try and block out what I had just heard.

"What is it?" Iggy whispered.

I took a deep breath in and then out. "The children are in there. I heard them."

Fang winced slightly.

I slid down the hill and stood up turning to Jeb. "There are too many to fight, but there is no possible way we can sneak in there. There is only one entrance."

Simon, who was still sitting on the grass. "There would be no way to get in. By the looks of things, whatever Lord Garth is mining, it's important."

"All the more reason to find out what they are mining," Fang said materializing beside me.

Iggy jumped up and stood on the other side. "I think I might…"

"No one move."

The five of us snapped our heads to the sound. Instinctively I froze.

A girl stepped out of the shadows on the trees. She was dark skinned and held a dark menacing look on her face. She wore simple brown bleachers and a moss green shirt. Her boots were brown leather and worn out, and like me, she had brown leather wrist guards. A brown skin scatual and large full quiver was across her chest and a belt of pockets and draw string bags was around her waist.

Oh, and she held a an arrow poised on her bow, pointed directly at me. She had it drawn at a professional distance and she didn't move it and inch as she walked towards us.

None of us move.

I knew if she fired, not even the Seraph's reflexes could stop the shot.

The girl's eyes scanned each one of us and I could see her counting our weapons. "Drop your weapons. Now!"

I glanced at Jeb, but even he obeyed her orders. He placed his staff on the ground. I soon followed my drawing Audacity from its sheath. The girl's eyes flickered to the swords glowing symbol, before glancing up at me.

Fang pulled out both his knives and placed them carefully on the ground. Iggy and Simon followed suit with their swords.

The girl stepped up so she was barely 2 meters away from me. "Who are you?"

She was talking directly to me. I swallowed. "I'm the Seraph."

The girl's eyes darkened. "Prove it."

I slowly and carefully lifted up my shirt sleeve. The glowing Seraph symbol shone brightly.

The girl seemed satisfied and almost slightly confused. Her bow lowered slightly, releasing from its attacking position. "What's your name?"

"Maximum," I said clearly. I paused. "Yours?"

She hesitated. "Nudge."

"We aren't the enemy," I said softly. "We are trying to…"

Of course, Fang does his attack. He lunged at Nudge before I could even finish, tackling her to the ground. Nudge shot her arrow, which zoomed up into the sky, disappearing.

I threw up my hands and rolled my eyes. He sure knew how to be subtle.

Once Nudge was down, Iggy was also on her. He snatched her bow and yanked her quiver off her back. Nudge yelled loudly.

"Hey!" I shouted over the noise, glad that the Erasers were too far away to hear us. "Get off her."

Fang snapped his head to me in disbelief. "Are you insane? She tried to kill you!"

I glared at him. "Let. Her. Go."

Fang obeyed, as did Iggy. Nudge jumped to her feet and was about to run off when I grabbed her arm. She growled at me and tried to push my off. "Let me go!"

"Not until you tell us why you were here," I said sternly.

Nudge narrowed her eyes on me. She suddenly thrust her hand towards me.

Without any warning what so ever, her hand exploded. It was only a small explosion, but for some reason I didn't feel it. I didn't move an inch.

Nudge on the other hand flew from my grip too fast for me to catch her. She landed with a thump on the ground 4 metres away, groaning. I stared at her with a raised eyebrow. I gave a glance at Fang but to my surprise, his eyes were wide as if he have just seen Nudge turn into a mermaid.

Jeb ran past me and straight towards the girl. I followed him at slower pace. I still wasn't confident with her.

She did threaten to shot an arrow at me.

To see her on the ground like this, she suddenly seemed younger. She seemed only about my age now, while before when she looked as if she was in here high 20's.

Nudge opened her eyes and suddenly met Jeb's instantly. Her eyes flickered to his staff and cloak to his face. Her eyes widened.

"You're a wizard," She whispered in utter awe.

His eyes were slightly narrowed, studying Nudge carefully. Nudge lowered her gaze, as if unable to stand the gaze of a wizard.

"Swear," Jeb said. His voice was strangely dark and full of strength and power. I resisted the urge to shiver in fear at I remembered how powerful Jeb truly was.

Nudge swallowed, glancing up at Jeb with sudden courage. "Upon father sun and Mother earth."

Jeb's eyes softened and a small smile snaked across his face. He held out his hand and Nudge took it graciously.

He gave me a Jeb smirk. "It's ok Max, she won't run or hurt us. She's a wizardette."

I almost jumped in shock. "What?"

Nudge coughed and began to ramble. "Well, actually, I was actually meant to send you flying, but it actually backfired and pushed me away instead. I've never been trained before. Every time I want a spark of flames to ignite my fire, I get this massive fire ball. Do you know how frustrating it is that for the entire 18 years of my life I can't even light a simple fire with my magic? It's pretty annoying. Not to mention when you're tired and hungry after a hunt and all you want to do it sleep."

I honestly could believe this girl. She tries to shoot us, then tries using magic on me and now she is chatting away as if we were her long lost best friends.

I snuck a glance at Fang. Surprisingly, he bore a similar expression to the one I had.

Jeb let go of her and Nudge merely brushed the dirt off her knees. She held out her hand towards Iggy who was holding her bow and quiver.

Iggy didn't move an Inch. Nudge narrowed her eyes. "Please," She emphasised with an over exaggerated voice.

Iggy glanced at Jeb. Jeb nodded slowly. Iggy inched forward shuffling careful steps. Nudge rolled her eyes and snatched them out of his hands.

"Gees, if you moved any slower I'd have them by next winter," Nudge snorted threading her quiver through her arm.

Iggy narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

Simon on the other hand looked at Nudge as if she was Lord Garth's daughter. "A wizardette?"

I gave him a raised eyebrow, but Fang answered my unspoken question. "A wizard in training."

I looked at Nudge and watched her sigh. "I've never met another wizard in my life. I've been traveling since I was 13, hoping to find someone who can teach me. I heard of many great wizard cities and the wizards working of the rebellion, but I've never actually seen it. I came down here to try and find someone. Anyone really, but I only found those stinking Erasers digging up the ancient city…"

Gees, this girl had a blabber mouth.

She paused slightly, catching our expressions. "Never mind." She looked at me. "I'm sorry about that, Seraph. There have tons of rumours going on about you and I just had to be sure. Shall we start over?"

Nudge held out her hand. I blinked slightly as my suddenly slow brain tried to take in her rapid speaking. I gripped her hand tightly. "Please call me Max."

Nudge grinned for the first time, showing a brilliant row of white teeth. "I did believe you when you told me, but then of course, the Shadow and the thief here tackled me to the ground…"

"Excuse men?" Iggy cried, two pitches up from his normal octave range. "Who are you calling thief?"

Nudge glanced at him, eyeing him up and down. "Well… you're too thin to be a bounty hunter… and in no way do you resemble Max here, so you can't be her brother… Nor are you her boyfriend, because Mr. Energy Wiper has taken that place…"

"Ok!" I said loudly, cutting her off. "We can talk about this later. I think we need to build up a plan."

"Plan? Oh, awesome!" Nudge cried happily.

I snuck a glance at Fang. He gave me an easy smile.

* * *

><p>It seemed it was a silent agreement. Nudge was staying at least for a while. Iggy didn't seem happy about it one bit, but Nudge ignored him, holding her head high.<p>

I honestly didn't understand his problem. Nudge seemed nice enough to me. In fact she and I were becoming great friends.

Though, her instant trust from Jeb was slightly nerve racking. It took me a few hours to fully trust her. In the end, I just told myself, if Jeb trusts her, then so I.

We set up camp in the forest. No fire in case the Eraser noticed the smoke (I did ask Jeb if he could possible do a spell to get rid of the smoke or something, but Jeb snapped back with 'Magic is not for party tricks' and ended that request). It was a cold dinner, but while it was light, we tried to create a plan.

"We can't just storm the place," Simon said. "Even with the Seraph, a Shadow and Wizards."

Nudge snorted. "Don't count me as wizard. My powers are too uncontrollable to use."

Simon was still in awe of Nudge despite her lack of ability. I guess Wizards are a pretty rare sight these days. The only ones left had joined the Rebelions.

"Max could fly in…" Iggy suggested.

I glared at him. Oh, great. So it was back to mocking me about my fear of height, eh?

"Or I can push you in," I glared.

Iggy snickered.

But the comment caught Nudge's attention. "You can't fly?"

Fantastic, now Simon was giving me a confused look.

"I don't like h-heights, ok," I splatted.

Nudge snorted. "We'll have to do something about that."

I felt the need to blame someone so I glared at Iggy. He just snickered again, clearly amused.

"That's enough," Jeb said glancing around at the four of us.

"We could possibly call on the rebellion," Simon said. "A couple people in the town have contacts."

"But that could take months," Fang said softly. "I could call on the Shadows, but even then the earliest they could come is about 2 weeks. Those children need to get out of there now."

Fang was so cute when he was considerate and…

Oh, crap, erase that last line.

No one said anything for a while. I sat back and thought deeply. What did the Erasers want? Money. And me too I guess. But what else did they want…

"Children," I whispered.

Nudge looked at me. "What?"

I glanced around and the faces staring at me. "We can go in as children."

There was a slight silent.

"I'm sure we'll be able to go in as children," Fang said slowly. "But would we be able to get out."

There was a slight silence.

"No, maybe there is another way in," Iggy said.

I looked at him sceptically, but Jeb seemed interested. "Go on."

Iggy took a deep breath in and looked at me. "Max, you remember a few years ago when Jullville started digging out the gold mine."

I nodded. It was a very successful mine and it brought a lot of wealth in to the town. I was even tempted to try it out, but Mum had flat out refused saying that it was dangerous and could collapse at any moment.

"Well, the first thing you do in any mine is build one with two exits," Iggy said.

"But this is different," Simon put in. "This is an open cut mine, not an underground one."

Iggy glanced at Jeb for support. "But surely a town as rich as Mystic would have had a mine somewhere."

Jeb seemed to realise where Iggy was headed and smiled slightly. "3 in fact."

Iggy raised his hands as if that answered every ones questions.

"But we don't really know if this mine is situated over an old mine," Nudge said. "In fact, we don't even know what they are mining."

"Gold," Simon said his voice monotone. "Erasers are always after gold."

Jeb didn't seem so sure. Neither did I. "But why would Lord Garth have his 2nd general just mining for gold? Surely, they must be looking for something more."

There was silence again.

Jeb suddenly gasped, suddenly. "No. Surely."

We waited as Jeb pondered over his thoughts. "That has to be what he was after."

"Care to share?" Iggy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jeb glanced up at all of us. "He is searching for the Vases of Supremacy."

**xoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**Exciting? I'm excited. REVIEW**

**P.S. Does anyone have any Legend of the Seeker Episodes they just LOVE? I might use them.**


	5. Desperation

**Yo,**

**Yes, i know i haven't updated in ages and yes i am sorry for it, but i just want those readers, who feel they have a right to demand that i update on a regular basis, that i have barely enough time in my life as it is. As much as i love your reviews, i really don't appriciate those who make very abrupt demands, because i barely have enough time to write anything as it is. I am updating the best i can.**

**Ok, now i've got that off my chest, topic of the chapter: The Best Maximum Ride story (besides mine :) ). Personally, my two favourite are 'Diary of a Lovesick Mutant' and 'Archangel in Disguise'. Definantly my favs.**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxo**

Legend of The Seraph

Chapter 5: Desperation

Nudge's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. "No! Oh man, this is really bad. If Lord Garth gets hold of them… oh man."

Fang just gave a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

This must be really bad.

Iggy narrowed his eyes on Nudge mainly. "Know it all."

Nudge returned the glare thoroughly.

Jeb ignored the two of them. "When wizards live in families, they always held a Vase of Supremacy. An ancient tradition that evolved Wizards to the strength they have today. It ensures that if a wizard in the family dies, their magic and knowledge of it would not fade."

He had my full attention now.

"When wizards are born they possess the average power that the mother and father possess. For example, if a male wizard married a female human, the child would only possess half of its father's power. If this pattern was recurring, the magic of wizards and the knowledge of spells would fade, but it's the Vases of Supremacy that kept Wizard magic and knowledge growing and increasing in power. This is part of the reason why Wizards are considered wise because not only do they hold the knowledge of what they had learnt, but they hold the knowledge of their ancestors."

"During the old ages, the Vase of Supremacy was passed down to the eldest son after the mother and father had passed away. The son was then able to open the vase and collect the magic and knowledge from his father and mother, but it was considered unfair to the other siblings. Now, traditionally, on the last parent's funeral, the siblings together open the vase and share an equal amount of power and knowledge. This tradition means that the knowledge and power of Wizards becomes stronger through every generation and the chance of fading is decreased."

He paused for a second. I smiled. "There is a 'but' to this isn't there."

Jeb smiled. "But… if the Vase of Supremacy isn't opened, the magic and knowledge is contained there. Anyone can open the vase, though it is considered a great crime to steal another wizards families Vase. A worse crime than murder."

He glanced in my direction. "I believe that Lord Garth would me mining for those vases. They can only be destroyed by magic so being buried in the earth won't affect them."

"So are you saying that Lord Garth is after those Vases," Iggy said.

Jeb nodded.

"And if he opens them he will become a Wizard," I said clarifying.

Jeb nodded again.

Fang removed his hand from the bridge of his nose. "Max, Lord Garth isn't just looking for one Vase. He is looking for a lot of them. If he is able to combine even 10 Vases, he would become incredibly powerful and would be able to cause a lot more damage more quickly."

My heart was suddenly beating a lot faster. "That ball you have, Fang. The one you said you stole from Ari?"

Fang's eyes lit up slightly in realisation. He undid his pouch and pulled out the fiery swirling ball that had allowed us passage through the boundary.

I looked at Jeb. "How many vases would it take to create something like that?"

Jeb pondered on it for a second. "At least 3. It all depends on the amount of power that is stored in them."

"If you're saying that Lord Garth made them, then we are in big trouble already," Nudge said, her voice small.

More silence.

"We have to destroy the mine," I said defiantly. No one could argue against that.

"But what about the children," Simon said.

"We have to find a way to get them out," Iggy agreed.

"Tomorrow," I said. "We will separate into finding Mine escapes. Simon, do you know if Wintervalley has any old maps of Mystic. Or at least their Mines."

Simon nodded. "I'm sure I would be able to find something in the ancient scribes."

"In the morning, you and Iggy head back to the town," I ordered. "I want you to find out all you can on mine entrances. You should be back by mid-day if you leave at sunrise."

"So much for a sleep in," Iggy snorted. Fang let out a mild chuckle.

"If that's the case Max," Jeb said smiling. "Tomorrow, you're going to start learning how to fly."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Iggy and Nudge burst out laughing. Fang snickered. Simon gave a sort of chuckle, but he was unsure whether he would offend me or not.

I glared at the two of them. "This isn't funny."

"Like hell it is," Iggy snorted before bursting into another round of laughter.

* * *

><p>That night we set up a system of night watching. Simon, Iggy, Fang, Me, Nudge and finally Jeb. All the horses were also fully packed, just in case we had to make a quick escape. Nudge didn't have a horse, so I just put her gear with my stuff.<p>

I had the same dream as last night, but tonight was different. When I jumped off the cliff, below me were children. Thousands of them. They were screaming, crying, begging, pleading. I as I flew over them one of the children grabbed my arm and I fell into the crowd. They suddenly overwhelmed me. Jumping on me, engulfing me until I could no longer see the sky.

I shot up out of my dream. I gasped a few heavy breathes as I gazed around the camp sight. Everyone was here and safe. Except Fang.

I glanced up the Hill. Fang sat on the grass his jet black clock slopping over his shoulders and crossed legs. His hood was over his head.

He looked like a statue. Perfectly symmetrical. Perfectly still and silent.

I sighed, running a hand over my face. I stood up quietly, picking up my cloak and throwing it over my shoulders. Once I had tied it around my neck, I picked up Audacity that laid beside me, the Seraph symbol lighting up at my touch, and made my way over to the hill.

I know Fang would have heard me, but he made no move to acknowledge my presence. I climbed the hill and sat down beside Fang silently as I reached the top.

There we were, just the two of us. Sitting there, our knees just brushing, with our cloaks shaping our figures. As black as the night.

I laid my sword down on the grass merely an inch in front of me. The Seraph symbol faded and once again the night surrounded me.

But the mine was well and truly alive. Small fires circled the rim of the open cut mine. Inside the mine was alight with orange and yellow light like a fire pit.

The cries. The whimpers. I could still hear them and I was sitting here, helpless. I wanted to do something. Anything, but I knew I couldn't.

"Makes you feel useless doesn't it," Fang whispered.

I sighed. "Yeah."

"You can probably hear them better than me."

"Probably."

We slipped back into silence.

"Are you ok?" Fang whispered.

I looked at him, to find his staring right back at me. His eyes were lit up slightly from the reflection of the mine.

"I'm ok," I said softly looking at the ground.

"But you've been having nightmares 3 days in a row."

I snapped my head up to him. "How do you know?"

Fang's lips lifted slightly. "Shadows can detect energy levels in different people. The closer someone is, the more we can feel there energy rise and fall. At night, people usually recharge their energy at a steady constant rate, but you've had glitches where the rate has changed. From my experience, glitches usually mean nightmares."

I raised an eyebrow. "But aren't you meant to be asleep?"

Fang chuckled. "Yes. But feeling glitches isn't exactly comfortable. Imagine someone pricking you while you are sleeping with a needle."

I winced slightly. "Sorry."

Fang shrugged gazing out over the hill again. "It's not your fault. You can't help you subconscious."

More silence.

Fang's curiosity got the better of him. "So what were you dreaming about?"

I sighed and explained to him my dream. Fang was silent the entire time and it was only when I had finished did he comment.

"I'm not a dream teller, but I know one thing," Fang smiled. "You're defiantly afraid of heights."

"But while I was in the dream," I argued. "I was ok. The height didn't bother me."

"That's because you were dreaming," Fang said as if it was the obvious answer.

I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. "Mention this to any one and I WILL slice you up with Audacity."

"No need for violence," Fang snickered.

I shook my head a smiled. The silence flowed over us again and with it came the cries of children. My heart sank as I brought myself to reality.

Why was I sitting here when children in Mystic were suffering and dying? It's meant to be the other way round.

Suddenly Fang grabbed my hand. Hesitantly he weaved his fingers through mine. I didn't pull away. These amazing rush of emotions ran through me. I glanced up at Fang.

His eyes held mine and for once I could see hidden emotions I had never seen before.

"We'll get through this," He whispered. "The day will come when this will all just go away. You'll have defeated Lord Garth, the world will be at peace."

"You don't know that," I whispered. "I could…"

Fang eyes flashed slightly. In worry and almost pain. "No. You are not going to die. I won't let you."

I hesitated. "But it could…"

"No."

"Fang, I'm serious."

"So am I," Fang said his voice definite and un-arguable. "For as long as I live, I will not let you die."

I honestly didn't know what was going on between Fang and I. We were friends, but… more. Fang seemed as hesitant and unsure about what was going on as I was.

I decided to do something completely out of the ordinary.

I rested my head on Fang's shoulder.

Fang jerked slightly at the sudden contact, but slowly he relaxed. He squeezed my hand comfortingly.

"Go to sleep," He whispered. "I'll take your watch."

"But you need to sleep," I yawned.

Fang chuckled mildly. "I have enough energy to keep me awake. Go to sleep."

For a few minutes, I let myself enjoy the comfort of being close to Fang. He made me feel secure. Safe from the endless cries of children.

It didn't take long for me to slip into a dreamless sleep.

**xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxo**

**Like the Fax? *grins* REVIEW!**


	6. First flight

**Yo,**

**Hey peoples. Everything is pretty awesome isn't it? I know, I know. I haven't updated in like a bazzilion years. Sorry, but i have two jobs and christmas to worry about. Sigh. I will try and update when i can but with my final year at school coming up, don't expect much. :)**

**BTW Merry x-mas to you all, if i don't post anouther chappie before then.**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

The Legend of The Seraph

Chapter 6: First flight

When I woke up the next morning it was dawn. I was lying on the ground with cloak over me in the exact same spot I was sleeping in at the beginning of the night. It almost made me think that the waking up with the nightmare was just another dream.

No, I told myself. Last night was too real to be a dream.

Simon and Iggy were already off by the time I woke up. Nudge was piling wood onto the fire pit. Fang and Jeb were… somewhere.

I stood up stretching both my wings and my arms out. Nudge glanced up at me and smiled. "Do they get annoying?"

I glanced at my wings, shaking them to get rid of the loose feathers. "Sometimes."

Nudge jerked her head up the hill. "The boys are meditating."

I looked up the hill and sure enough, both Jeb and Fang sat there as still as stone. They did this every couple of days I worked out. According to Jeb, they were strengthening their control over their magic, or in Fang's case, over his energy.

I did try once, but I couldn't sit still enough. All I wanted to do was jump up and walk around. Fang found this amusing. Jeb concluded thinking that in order for a Seraph to control its (undiscovered) powers it needed to keep moving.

I liked that thought to be honest. I could not sit still for long that was for sure.

POOF!

I jumped at the sudden noise. When I spun around to look at Nudge, the whole front of her body was charcoal black. She blinked, before smiling sheepishly.

"Tried to start a, um… fire." She paused, before sighing and reached into her pockets, plucking out a set of fire stones. "Oh well, back to basics."

I merely snorted.

Nudge had the fire up and running pretty quick smart. It wasn't long before she was stirring something in the billy, that smell suspiciously like porridge.

Nudge picked up the dishing spoon and dished out 5 large helpings of thick porridge. She passed me the wooden bowl and I just stared at it. All those kids were starving in that mine and here I was eating porridge.

Nudge's eyes flickered to me. "You need to eat Max."

I sighed. "I feel like I need to do something."

"We are doing something," Nudge argued. "But like all things, 'doing something' takes time. Especially since we are going to be attacking a giant mine tonight."

I didn't say anything.

"Think of it this way," Nudge said putting the dishing spoon back in the pot of porridge. "You're helping the kids by being as strong as you can be. If you're not at your full strength there is a chance you could make a mistake. The more strength you have, the more of a chance we have to get all of the kids out safely and be able to destroy the mine. Is that what you want?"

I smiled slightly. Nudge really had a way with her words.

Nudge shrugged and grinned. "Besides, I heard a rumour that porridge cures the fear for heights."

My glare must have been sufficient because she burst out laughing.

* * *

><p>I stared at the tree in the front of me. I gulped. "Really? Climb it."<p>

Jeb smiled. "You have to start somewhere."

"Can't we start, you know… on ground?"

Fang chuckled mildly. I sent him a glare. His eyes were full of amusement.

Jeb shook his head. "Do you know how baby birds learn to fly? They jump straight out of their nests. It will be a long time before you'll be able to do a vertical lift off."

Oh god.

I took a deep breath and began to climb the tree. We had chosen a tree further away from the mine so that it would be virtually impossible for any of the Erasers to see me.

"Go Max!" Nudge shouted. "Think light!"

I rolled my eyes and kept climbing.

Once I was about 5 metres high, I stopped. Oh god, it seemed so high even at a puny 5 metres.

I shuffled out away from the trunk of the tree. Both my hands and feet gripped the thick branch as I forced myself to swallow my fear.

"Remember," Jeb shouted from down below. "Just keep flapping your wings as fast as you can."

My blood ran cold when I remembered something.

"How do I land?" I shouted to Jeb below.

Fang's laughter filled the air.

"We'll get to that," Jeb called. "Just try and get as high into the sky as you can."

I slowly spread my wings out. I found that I could balance better with them. I hesitantly tested letting my hands go on the branch, but when I lost my balance slightly and I snapped my grip down on the branch again.

"Just keep flapping," I told myself.

I started beating my wings on the branch. Firstly slow, then gradually they the beats grew bigger. I felt the wind shift under me and as each stroke down I felt a wave of weightlessness wash over me.

My Seraph symbol brightened.

A surge of courage ran though me. I was made for this. I was made to fly.

Without a second thought I jumped.

I dropped. Like a rock. I beat my wings downwards. It was an effort but I stopped falling. The second beat downwards was easier. In fact, I was gaining height.

I concentrated hard on just beating my wings. The wind whipped in my hair and through my feathers.

I was now higher than the trees. My instincts were telling me to glide, so I let my wings hold still.

All the fears of heights were consumed by my instincts. I had never felt so free in my life.

I was flying.

I laughed with joy and flapped my wings again flying higher.

The view was amazing. Beyond anything imaginable. I felt like I ruled the world. Like I could fly forever and leave everything behind. I could see everything. Wintervalley in the distance. The whole forest even!

I quickly worked out how to turn. You angle your wings to one side and gradually you'll turn around in mid-air. The sharper the angle, the sharper the turn.

It was actually quite simple really. Angle down and go down. Angle up, plus flapping, and go up. Angle to the sides and you go to the sides.

Hey! I even worked out how to stay in one spot, but it's nowhere near as fun as turning around in circles.

I flew back over the spot where I had taken off. I didn't want to land. I just wanted to fly forever. Endless freedom.

Ok, so I had to land at some point.

I dropped lower into the sky, circling the clearing where Jeb, Fang and Nudge stood.

I held a spot in mid-air, concentrating hard. I carefully beat my wings until I was around a metre off the ground. My feet didn't like the sudden gravity and I dropped, rolling once before finally sitting up with an 'oof'.

"So graceful Max," Fang smiled.

His comments didn't affect me. I was grinning madly, shaking my wings of all the leaves and twigs that got caught in the roll.

Nudge ran over and helped me stand. "You should have seen yourself. You're amazing."

I brushed the dirt off my pants. "It felt incredible."

Jeb grinned. "Good Max. Very good."

Wait for it…

"But, I think we should start work on your take off first."

Did I expect any less?

* * *

><p>My wings were just about dead by the time I was finished. Even though my take off was getting better and better, my landing was failing miserably. It was hard to find that balance and get your body used to the pull of the earth again.<p>

When I had finally finished training, I was completely and utterly exhausted. Of course, once Nudge gave me the left over porridge and two servings of lunch I was good.

Fang also gave me a boast of energy. It helped. The soreness of my muscles disappeared and I felt like I could do an another round of flying.

But I knew that I was going to have to save my energy for tonight.

It was a little after Mid-day when Iggy and Simon returned. The sudden pounding of hooves jumped us all to our feet, but when Simon and Iggy rounded into the camp, we all relaxed.

"Gees," Iggy said. "Our horses aren't ten ton Omegas."

I rolled my eyes. "Had to be careful."

Simon nodded. "Understandable."

"Did you get any maps?" Fang asked stepping beside me.

Iggy was quiet for a second, his eyes flickering between Fang and I. A small smirk appeared on his face. "Yep. A whole stack of them."

"They are delicate documents," Simon warned as he dismounted his horse and flicked the reins over its head. "They should be treated with the best of care."

Jeb nodded. "Agreed."

Simon produced a large thick pipe that was wrapped in his saddle bag. It was the most interesting pipe I had ever seem. Wooden, with a number of carving along the outside. Both ends had a wood lid, one end sealed with wax. It's was too skilled to be carved by any carpenter. It was wizard made that was for sure.

Iggy dismounted his horse and took both his and Simon's horses over to where the other horses stood.

Simon approached us, holding the carved pipe out to Jeb. "These are the most actuate of all the maps Wintervalley held."

Jeb took the carved pipe and lifted the loose lid carefully. He muttered a spell, waving his hand over the open pipe.

One by one the maps slowly extracted themselves from the pipe and spread out. They levitated off the ground, holding still at waist height.

I smiled. Not for party tricks, eh?

There were three maps in total. All yellow from age, but surprisingly, they didn't seem fragile. Magic. There must have been a lot of Magic in these maps to make them last this long.

The first page was a map of what I guess to be Mystic. There were so many houses. It made me sick to think of all the people who must have lived there and more the point died there.

The second map was a chart of what I guessed to be the mines. They were big. Huge even. Like ant mines, the tunnels crawled themselves all over the map.

The third map was a similar map to the second. Mines.

Simon seemed a little struck by the use of magic. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gestured to the maps in front of him. "These maps are the three layers of Mystic."

He pointed to the first map. "This is the township. As you can see most of the town is situated in the valley itself. When the valley cliffs were bombed, there was too much rock for even all the wizards put together to stop it. The valley is now virtually flat."

Simon's hand moved to the second and third maps. "This shows the two layers of mines. The first layer is probably the jewel mines. Rubies and sapphires mainly. But the second layer is definitely a quartes mine."

I glanced at Jeb. "Quartes?"

Jeb took in a breath. "A magic holding stone. They lined the Vases of Supremacy with quartes to hold the magic in."

Nudge nodded. "Quartes can also help repel some energy taking spells. Pink quartes especially. It's very expensive even for a few grams. I've heard that you sprinkle it across a piece of land and it can help maintain the energy in the soil to produce endless good crops despite the weather. A lot of wealthy lords buy it by the kilo to…"

"Nudge," Iggy said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Nudge poked her tongue out at Iggy. He just shook his head.

Simon pointed to the third map. "The quartes mine was kept secret from most of the people in Mystic. If the people knew about it there, there was a high chance that they could steal the precious stone."

"Is the stone more valuable than the Vases?" I asked.

To my surprise, Fang answered that. "No. The Vases are priceless, Max."

Jeb nodded. "Lord Garth would only be after the Vases. The Erasers of course would be after the rubies and sapphires, but even if they came over a whole bolder of quartes, I doubt they would even take a second glance at it."

I snorted. Shows the thickness of Erasers.

Simon's finger circled an area on the first map. One that was a bunch of small squares which I quickly guessed where houses.

"This is most likely where the Erasers would be digging. It's the most highly populated area in Mystic."

Fang nodded. Jeb waved his hand and the first map floated over so it was beside the third. He paused for a second analysing the maps together before he finally placed his finger on a tunnel.

"That tunnel. It runs directly under the group of houses," Jeb said.

"We can enter through there and literally attack from where they least expected it," Nudge said happily.

I shook my head. "No. We need to get the children out first, without the Erasers knowing. We need a tunnel that we can evacuate the kids and then be able to block when the Erasers try and follow."

Iggy nodded. "We also need to make sure that we have all the children. Simon, do you know how many kids were taken?"

Simon looked pained as he mentally counted all the kids. "42. No… 44."

I winced. That was a lot of children we needed to get out.

Fang pointed to the map. "We'll get them out through this tunnel. Simon and Iggy will then get them as far away from the mine as possible."

"Simon, Iggy and Jeb will take the children out. Jeb I need you to block the tunnel and guard the children so they are safe. Fang, Nudge and I will take down the Erasers and destroy the mine," I ordered pointed at each person as I said their name.

Iggy groaned. "Why do I always miss out on the action?"

Everyone ignored him.

"We need some sort of bombs or explosions," I said. "Something that will detonate when we say or do something."

Jeb nodded. "I think I can make that work."

Iggy snorted. "I think you just need Nudge for that."

Nudge punched him in the shoulder. Iggy gave a silent ow and sent her a glare.

Fang glanced at me. "We're going tonight aren't we."

It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "We're going tonight."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	7. Moving In

**Yo!**

**So, I'm heading back to school in 2 days. Sigh, my last year. What do you guys call it in america? Senior year? Year 12? Well, this is the big one. The one that will get me into an awesome Creative Writing Course. Yep, i want to write for a living. Fantasy Romance stories. My Dream.**

**I honnestly don't know what i would be without my writing. It is my life. I feel sorry for all those people who are presured into being Doctors or Lawers when their real passion is in art. My parents have always pushed me into expressing who i am.**

**Oh, hell, Sorry. Blabbing a bit. :P**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

The Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 7: Moving In

Everything was ready by the time the sun had disappeared over the hill. The horses were being led by Simon and Iggy. Maya was twitching. She could almost sense that action was coming.

I stretched out my wings, beating them to loosen the muscles. They seemed like they had purpose now and aren't just useless limbs.

I decided to try something. I crouched, spreading my wings to their full length. I started to beat them, in a slow and steady pace. I felt the pull of the earth weaken and I began to rise…

But as I made the upward stroke, the pull of the earth brought me crashing down again.

I cursed and jumped to my feet, rubbing the leaves and dirt off my pants and cloak.

Jeb was right. Vertical take-offs were hard.

I tried a second time. This time I attempted it by beating my wings harder. Still, at the upward stroke, I fell to the ground.

I gave up in the end. I knew I would eventually get it. Instead, I decided to work on my sword instead. A sense of pride rose up in me as the Seraph symbol glowed brightly.

I must have been practicing for a while. I didn't really feel myself tire. The energy and strength the Audacity gave me was almost putting my in a bubble where all pain and senses of the world around me disappeared.

I quickly shook my head, forcing those feelings and senses down. I was not invincible. The Sword could make me feel invincible, but I wasn't.

My Seraph senses detected someone watching me, I spun around and smiled as I noticed Iggy frozen creeping towards me.

"Dam," He swore under his breathe. "Can I never sneak up on you anymore?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "When did you ever successfully snuck up on me?"

Iggy smiled. "Point taken."

There was a wave of silence washed over us. I knew Ig had something to say but he wasn't sure how to say it. I kept quiet, giving him his time.

He sighed, all the jokes disappearing from his face leaving a serious expression. "Max. Are you ok?"

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shifted nervously. "Well… this is a big commitment, Max. You're the Seraph. You're meant to kill the king for crying out loud."

Ah. I could see where this was heading. "Iggy…"

Iggy just looked at me. "Do you really know what you're heading into?"

I sighed. "Ig. It's ok."

"You don't know what you're doing though," Iggy confirmed.

"No I don't," I said honestly. "But neither does any other person in the world. We can't predict the future Ig."

Iggy groaned. "That's not what I meant."

"Iggy."

He sighed. "Ok, I'll drop it." He paused. "Just don't forget you always have a choice."

I didn't say anything. Iggy kept his eyes on me for a few seconds before he nodded to his own thoughts. "Ok."

I watched him walk away. I couldn't help but think of his words.

A choice. To just fly away from here. I hadn't really thought about it until now. I really could just fly away and forget the world. I mean living like this, with Fang and Jeb. Being free. It felt so… I don't know. I was in control over myself.

It honestly didn't sound half bad.

I shook my head. Think about it later Max. Right now you owe it to these children.

* * *

><p>"Iggy, Jeb, Simon," I said. "It's your job to get those children out at any cost. Once they are out, Jeb give me a sign. Some sort of flash or something."<p>

Jeb nodded leaning against his staff. He didn't seem to mind me taking over and leading this charge, if you could call it a charge.

I looked at Fang and Nudge. "Our job is to set the bombs. We then wait for Jeb's signal and blow this place to smithereens. Got it?"

There were nods around the circle. Nudge shrugged. "In a nut shell."

I rolled my eyes ignoring her. I did a quick glance to the sky, noting the darkness. "Right, it's time. Let's roll."

Almost immediately, Iggy, Jeb and Simon moved towards the horses. The saddle bags and gear had been removed and now the horses only had their saddle and bridle.

Maya gave me a whinny as she was lead off by Iggy and I felt this surge of guilt that washed over me as I watched her leave. I brushed it off quickly. I'll see her again.

Fang must have seen my moment of weakness, because he walked over to me. He brushed his shoulder against mine gently, his fingers hooking around mine briefly.

"It's going to be ok," Fang whispered.

I smiled, giving him a glance. He must have seen the thankyou in my eyes, because he just smiled before walking over to the pile of glowing green spheres.

I took a deep breath. Jeb walked over to me.

"Whatever happens Max," Jeb said in a soft tone. "Follow your instincts. You have hidden abilities you are only just beginning to unleash."

I nodded. "Thankyou Jeb."

For a moment, Jeb seemed to hesitate. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he closed it and smiled. He turned around and began to follow Iggy and Simon.

I stood there for a moment, finally I turned away towards where Fang and Nudge were collecting their share of bombs.

* * *

><p>We kept low as we made our way over the hills. I led the way, my hand placed on my sword. My cloak flapping behind me, covering my wings and I kept my hood over my head to hide my dirty blonde hair. I had wrapped extra cloth around my shoulder and sheath to hide the brightly glowing symbols. My senses were firing, guiding me through areas where there were no Erasers.<p>

Fang was right behind me. He had his hood over his head and seriously lived up to his status as a Shadow. His two knives were sheathed, but occasionally when we came close to an Eraser, his hand would reach for his knife and then pull back when we past. Neither the less, he was right on my tail, never mistrusting my judgement.

Nudge trailed behind Fang. Unlike us, she didn't have a cloak, but it was probably for the best. In her hands was her bow, strung and with an arrow in place, and her full quiver of arrows was over one of her shoulders. Like Fang, I seemed to have her complete trust.

Finally we arrived at the edge of the open cut mine. We hid behind a shrub which was situated less than 3 meters from the drop off.

I couldn't help but feel the magic in the air. It felt as if thin dust was brushing up my arms and across my face, yet, I couldn't really see anything. It was thick, like an invisible fog. I breathed in, feeling a sense of calm was over me.

Breathing in leaking Magic. God, I feel… addicted to it.

Nudge breathing in, closing her eyes slightly. "Magic. Wow, it's strong."

Fang nodded. "It's leaking out. Digging up the mine must have released it from the ground."

I took another breath in, shuddering in slight delight. I just wanted more. More magic…

I shook my head. Concentrate on the job at hand Max.

I turned to my two comrades. "Nudge, you take left, Fang and I will take right. Don't forget to bury the bombs in the dirt."

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Of course you go with him," She hissed jerking her thumb towards Fang. "Just don't get side tr…"

She stopped mid-sentence obviously noticing my Seraph symbol brighten under the two layers of cloth and the death glare plastered on my face. She grinned sheepishly and scattered away from me as fast as she could go.

Fang chuckled quietly. "She has a point."

I blushed and snapped my glare to him. "Don't start."

Fang gave me one of his rare grins.

I forced myself not to stare at him.

Fang and I immediately moved toward the edge of the mine. I began to dig a hole, but Fang stopped me. I frowned, but shuffled to the side as Fang took my place.

He out stretched his hand, holding it there for a second, before slowly twisting his wrist and curling his fingers around. The dirt beneath his hands, twisted. Slowly, Fang rose his hand. A cylinder of dirt rose up to meet his hand height.

"Wow," I whispered. "Personal shove."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Just put the bomb in."

I pulled a hand size green sphere and placed it in the hole. Fang dropped his hand and the cylinder of dirt collapsed into the hole, some of the dirt spilling out. I quickly flattened the dirt down, giving Fang a quick nod.

We did this for 3 bombs. Fang lifting the dirt, I placing the bomb in, Fang dropping the dirt, I flattening the spilt dirt. We ran, crouched along the edge, but my Seraph senses, picked up danger and close. Without thinking, I pushed Fang into a bush and jumped in after him.

Fang grunted as he hit the dirt, but I was quick to slam my hand over his mouth. Fang froze.

I listened silently as there was a crunch of Eraser boots. It was only then did I realise that I was lying on top of Fang. He seemed to realise as well, because I felt a smile stretch across his lips under my hand.

I ignored it. It's just Fang, just Fang.

Once the Eraser boots past, I pushed myself off Fang, standing up. I stretched my hand out towards Fang. He took it gladly.

"Let's move," I said.

We kept to our job, neither of us saying a word. Digging, placing, letting go, smoothing out. We were down to the last two when, Fang gripped my hand.

"Are you ok?" He whispered.

I clenched my jaw. Was I _ok_? "No, I'm not."

Fang looked at my carefully. "Is it… did I…?"

"No," I said quickly. Probably too quickly. "It's just… Everything…"

"What do we have here?"

Fang and I snapped around. Walking towards us were 4 bulky Erasers. Almost instinctively, I reached for my sword, but Fang gripped my hand. I immediately saw why.

All the Erasers had arrows. A 5th Eraser strode towards us holding a torch.

Crap.

Even if I jumped off the cliff and flew, they would shoot me down and that would be the end of it.

"Get rid of the bombs," Fang hissed.

I smoothly brought the bag behind me, flicking out my small pocket knife from under my sleeve. With one quick slash, the bag handle was cut. I threw it into a bush. Thankfully, the Erasers didn't notice.

The Eraser with the torch came right up to me. He narrowed his eyes on both of us. "Who the hell are you?"

"Travellers," I said instantly. I saw Fang flicker me a look, but I brushed his hand with mine. A simple gesture to signal that I was in control.

The Eraser snapped his head to Fang bringing the torch right up to his face. He eyed Fang cloak and grinned.

"A Shadow, eh?" The Eraser said with a smile. "Haven't seen you're kind around lately."

Fang narrowed his eyes darkly, but remained as still and silent as ever.

The Eraser pulled back. "Tie 'em up. These two are taking a trip to the Captain."

"To do what? Have a tea party?" I asked.

The head Eraser narrowed his eyes. "No, to decide your fate."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**Oh, No. What's going to happen? Oh wait, I KNOW! But why spoil it for you. :P REVIEW!**


	8. Escaping

**Yo!**

**Yes, before you kill me. I know i haven't updated. I've been super duper busy. Honnest.**

**Anyway, I'm updating now, so be happy!**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 8: Escaping

Iggy POV

Stupid Maya. God, she was as stubborn as Max. She has to stop whinnying or we'll be heard.

We were on the other side of the 'large hill' now. We'll what used to be a hill before it was bombed to flatten the valley. On this side of the hill, there was a second valley. I'm guessing this one was even deeper as the valley Mystic used to live in. This is where the tunnel was.

Simon led, leading his horse carefully down the narrow paths as he held the delicate map in his hands. Jeb followed Simon, using his staff as a walking stick. He didn't need to hold his horses' bridles. He just walked and the four stupid horses followed Jeb like they were hypnotised. Magic no doubt.

I, on the other hand, only had Maya and for crying out loud she was so pathetic.

I was using all my effort to drag her along. I heaved, rammed, slapped, I did every single thing I could think of. Maya was still resisting, pulling her head back to the way we came and whinnying.

I knew she wanted to be with Max, but there was a bit of a problem with that.

You could not understand my relief when Simon called quietly, 'Over here!'

I yanked on Maya's rein and too my surprise her ears flicked forward, without warning she trotted forward suddenly, pulling me along with her.

"You stupid horse," I cursed, pulling on her reins to pull her up short. She snorted at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. I pointed my finger.

"Behave," I snapped.

She tried to bite my finger, but I pulled back just in time. Maya whinnied this time with amusement, rearing slightly as if she was laughing. I mumbled some curses and dropped the reins, marching over to where Simon and Jeb were standing.

The tunnel wasn't big. In fact, I would barely be able to stand in it. I gulped. Not get claustrophobic now Iggy. These kids need you.

Jeb hummed. His staff was a shining torch for this tunnel which was a good thing. It would mean we didn't need a flame.

Jeb breathed in. His eyes closed briefly, before he opened them. A wave of sadness washed over his face. "This place is full ancient and powerful magic."

Simon glanced at him. "How do you know that?"

Jeb sighed softly. "Those who are magic born can sense magic. The older you grow, the more you can feel it, but this… this magic is very, very strong. I don't know why, but the magic here is powerful and it's escaping."

"All the more reason to blow it up?" I asked, trying to contain my excitement. I can't wait to watch this place explode. More the point, I couldn't wait to see the look on the Erasers' faces.

Ha! I can picture them now.

Jeb nodded somewhat grimly. "As much as I despise that the Erasers crushed this village in the first place, to dig up the village they murdered… it's a terrible sin."

There was silence.

Finally, Jeb faced us. "Simon, I need you to mind the horses (Yes! He gets stuck with Maya!). Iggy, you're coming with me."

I froze slightly, before forcing myself to exhale. It's just a tunnel. Just a tunnel. Jeb won't let it collapse on you.

Jeb started though the tunnel without a word. Simon eyed Jeb, before handing me the map. "Be careful with it. I know it's been protected from damage by magic, but… still."

I took the map carefully as if it was a sheet of gold. "I will."

I quickly ran into the tunnel to catch up to Jeb. I heard the horses whinny and Simon soothed them to calm their nerves. I wondered if the horses could feel the magic. Maybe that was what was scaring them.

Hmmm.

I stepped beside Jeb and we walked in silence. Jeb's staff seemed to glow brighter the deeper we travelled into the tunnel.

We must have walked about a Km before Jeb held up his hand.

"Listen," he whispered.

I stopped moving. Faintly. Barely. I could just here a series of sobs. Whimpers. A cry. A prayer.

My jaw clenched. I hate Erasers, but none of that compared to the hatred I felt right now. Pure hatred. God, I felt like I should strangle every Eraser on earth.

Jeb walked a few more steps before he reached up and touched the roof. For a second, he did nothing, before he thrust his staff into the dirt roof.

I knew Jeb was powerful. Hell, Max had told me about all the things he did before we crossed the border, how he struck the Erasers with lightning to protect Fang and herself from the Erasers and how he sucked the flames from her burning house. But to actually see Jeb in action… hell, it was certainly a sight.

The moment Jeb's staff hit the dirt roof, there was a hum in the air. The blue glow of the gem grew so bright I had to shield my eyes.

When the glow died down, I dropped my hand from my eyes. I raised my eyebrows when I saw a perfectly circular hole in the roof. The edges of the circular hole were fading from a bright glowing blue as if the dirt had been burnt away.

The whimpering and sobs had disappeared, instead cries of shock and fear echoed through the hole.

Jeb clasped his hands in front of him. "Go up, you have to calm the kids down."

I put my foot on Jeb's clasped hands and he pushed me up with a grunt. I managed to heave myself out of the hole. Where ever I was, it was dark. There was no light at all. Jeb lifted his staff up and I lifted it higher, lighting the whole room up.

What I saw scared me for life.

The room was fairly large, but all around the edges were children. Some weren't even 6 while others were around 14. They were covered in dirt and grim, but the one part of them that was clean was their eyes. Blood shot teary eyes reflected the blue glow from Jeb's staff.

Not only that, but they were injured. Nearly every single child had either a fist size burse or a bloody piece of material wrapped around a cut. Some even had their leg twisted on a horrific angle.

What was worse was the way they cried and moved up close to the wall. As far away from me as possible. As if I was the enemy.

I couldn't imagine what it would be like if Akila was here.

"It's ok," I whispered. "We're here to set you free. We're here to take you home."

At the mention of the word, I watched the reflective eyes glow with some brightness. One girl cried, 'I want mummy!'

There was a bang. I spun around shining the staff at a wooden door.

"Shut up!" a rough voice shouted from the other side.

There was quiet, until an older boy, about 14 or so, rose to his feet. He limped towards me, studying me. "Are you really going to get us out of here?"

From his tone, I quickly guessed that he was the leader of these kids. I nodded.

The boy managed a weak smile and virtually collapsed in my arms. I was shocked at first, but I quickly pulled him back. "It's going to be ok."

He nodded, crying slightly. With relief.

I breathed out, glancing around at the other kids. "You need to be quiet ok. If we escape, we have to be quiet. Like a mouse."

The kids edged their way over to me. A couple even smiled. I think they liked the thought of a game.

"Can you guys be mice? Really really quiet mice," I whispered.

I watched them as they all crept over to me. Some even rose their hands up portending to have paws.

"Ok," I said quietly, as they gathered around me. "I'm going to place you in the hole one at a time. My friend down their will catch you, ok?"

"Are we going home?" a boy who was about 8 or so asked in a forced whisper.

I nodded. "Yes you're going home."

A happy murmur rose up through the group of kids. I shhed them immediately.

"Ok. Do you want to go first?" I asked the 'leader'.

He took a deep breath in nodding confidently. I carefully picked him up and passed him down to Jeb. When I passed the second child down, a terrified 9 year old, the 'leader' told her to sit by the wall and wait.

I had to give it to that kid. He had a real streak of bravery in him.

We repeated it slowly. All the kids gathered around the hole to watch their mates being lowered to Jeb.

"What's your name?" an older girl who was about 13 or so asked. One of her eyes was swollen black and half closed.

"Iggy," I replied as I passed Jeb another child.

"Thank you Iggy," A young girl who looked to be only Akila's age whispered. To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me.

I froze slightly, holding back the tears. What had these kids seen? They looked so torn. So broken as if they had been stripped from any self-confidence they ever possessed.

I plied the girls arms from around my waist, smiling at her warmly. "You can thank me later. Right now, you guys have to get out of here."

A young blonde haired boy who was about 10 crawled over to me. I cringed as I noticed his ankle was twisted badly.

"Watch the ankle Jeb," I said as I lowered the boy down.

Finally, there were only two girls left, but one of the girls was holding the unconscious other. I winced as I saw the bleeding welt on the side of her head.

"She has been out for hours," the older girl whispered, he bleeding lip trembling. "We didn't know what to do."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "It's ok. I'll take care of her now."

The older girl past me child. She looked even younger than the rest. 6 years old maybe? God, how could anyone stand back and let these children be tortured?

The older girl shuffled down, and slid from the hole into Jeb's waiting arms. Jeb stood back and I jumped landing lightly on the floor of the tunnel. The children were standing, well the ones that could stand. Excitement and anxiety rippled through the air.

Jeb looked at me. "Take them down the tunnel, I'll block the hole."

I nodded, moving the unconscious girl onto my hip. I took the leaders hand and pulled him along, knowing that if I took him the others will follow.

"Come on," I whispered. "Let's go."

I moved slowly, making sure the limping kids could keep up. I admired the team work involved to keep the group moving. The older kids were pushing the younger ones along, carrying the 4 and 5 year olds. They were also supporting the kids who couldn't walk well too.

There was a blinding light behind me and I knew it was Jeb, sealing the hole. Some of the kids turned around and gasped in shock.

"He has magic."

"A wizard!"

"Shhh," the 'leader' whispered. "We have to keep moving."

He glanced up at me as if to check for my approval. I gave him a smile and nodded. The 'leader' smiled, pride lifting into his face.

But the smile didn't last long. We all froze as we stood at the exit of the tunnel.

Erasers.

There had to be at least 30 of them. Hold the reins of the horse and a sword to Simon's throat. He gave me a pained look.

Some of the kids shiver, curling up against me for safety. I stepped in front of them. They would have to get through me to get these kids. I will not let them go through this pain again.

Jeb appeared beside me his face guarded and staff gem glowing brightly. He didn't attack. The only thing he actually did was mutter a simple phrase.

There was a boom in the sky. I knew what it meant. Where ever Fang, Max and Nudge were… they knew what it meant too.

Jeb had cast the flare, signalling the others to blow the place up.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

**The next couple of chapters is where things get interesting. :) REVIEW!**


	9. Tea Party

**Yo,**

**So life is awesome. Sorry that's its taken me so long to update. I haven't finished this story yet 'cause i haven't quite got the ending set. If any of you guys have any ideas on how you would like it to end (With details please), i would really appreciate it if you'd review and tell me! Thanks**

**Fly On...**

**Heart Of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 9: Tea Party

The Erasers pushed Fang and I onto our knees. Fang growled, but was shoved in the head for making a noise. I remained quiet, keeping a smile on my face just to annoy them.

We were in a cabin in the centre of the open cut mine. The cabin was a single room with a basic desk and chair.

But on the far wall was a shelf. 4 large vases sat there patiently waiting for their fate.

The Vases of Serenity.

They were beautiful. All different shapes and sizes. One was small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, while another was as large as a baby. The colours were bright and in such detailed patterns. Pictures of people, animals, houses… all in the finest of details painted onto the vases. It almost made me was to traces the lines with my finger.

A pair of Erasers stormed into the room, carrying our weapons and belongings. I looked at my sword, and breathed out. The material was wrapped around the Seraph symbol. I was surprised when they didn't take our cloaks off, but I was thankful.

As long as they didn't find out I was the Seraph, it was going to be ok. We would then have the element of surprise.

Sure we'll be thrown into some prison, but I'm sure we'd be able to get out. It would be a better fate than them finding out who I was.

I pressed my wings as tight as I could against my back.

Fang was as stiff as a board beside me. The tension seemed to radiate off him.

Someone walked slowly into the room. Unlike the other Erasers, this guy wore a giant red cloak over his battle armour. A thick sword sat on his wide hips. A slash scar ran across from his right eye to his chin.

This would have to be Lord Garth's 2nd General.

He stared at us. "Who are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're just travellers, as I've been telling you thick heads for the past 20 minutes."

The General narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" he repeated. "Why are you here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are we here? Well, I heard a rumour going around that there was a tea party gathering. I must say with this hole, you must be expecting…"

"SHUT UP!" the General boomed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Fang's hesitant glance.

I ignored the General's tone. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I upset you? Did the guests ignore all you're invites?"

The General breathed in a staggering breath. He sat down on the edge of the desk, calming himself. He picked up my sword and I tensed. He fiddled with the edge of the cloth that covered the Seraph symbol…

An angry scream erupted outside the cabin.

"YOU STUPID COW'S! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, OR I SWEAR I WILL ROAST YOU OVER AN OPEN FIRE AND FEED YOU TO A HEARD OF DRAGONS!"

No.

Not Nudge too.

I kept my face controlled as the cabin door burst open. Nudge was being held over the shoulder by an Eraser. She kicked and screamed as loud as she could, before she was dropped onto the ground beside me.

Her furious gaze scanned the room, until it fell on Fang and I on our knees beside her. She opened her mouth, but I cut over quickly, making sure she didn't say anything that shouldn't be said.

"Hey Monique!" I said cheerfully. "Come to join the Tea party?"

Nudge stared at me, dumb fold for a second, before a small smile edged across her face. She stretched her lips into a cheesy grin. "Hey Alex. Yeah, I thought I should drop by."

I nodded towards the 2nd General. "Yeah, we must have heard the same story. I set up the tea cups on my table."

Translation: Our bombs are set.

Nudge nodded catching the hint. "I've set my table up too. Too bad we are going to miss the big ceremony."

Translation: My bombs are set too, but we are going to miss the flare.

Out of the corner of my eye, Fang frowned, staring at the ground deep in thought. I knew he had understood our coded conversation.

"Enough!" The General shouted. "There is no Tea Party!"

Nudge looked at the General then back at me. "Did this guy eat all the tea cakes?"

I nodded. The General went red with anger.

"TELL ME WHY YOU ARE HERE?" The General shouted.

Nudge and I remained quiet, but to my surprise Fang raised his head. "We were planting daisies."

Everyone in the room snapped their heads to Fang. I heard Nudge's mouth pop open. The Erasers were in shock and personally, I was also in shock. _Daisies?_

Fang looked at us. Well, mainly me as I kinda stood between him and his view of Nudge. He gave a shrug as if there was an obvious answer to his statement.

"For the Tea party celebration?" He said in a suggestion.

Translation: We were planting bombs to blow this place to bits.

Technically, he had spoken the truth, but just not the truth the general was after. I couldn't help but let a smile edge onto my face.

God, I love him.

Wait… what?

Without any warning, the General lashed out, grabbing me by the collar. He pulled me off the ground to standing. To my right, Nudge winced. On my left, Fang became more ridged than he already was.

"Answer. The. Question," The General growled.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to breathe, but I refused to say anything. I wasn't going to let this crack pot get to me. This guy kidnaps children and forces them into a mine for crying out loud. He was a sicko and I had no intention of giving him any sort of pleasure.

Of course, as I grew angrier, my glowing Seraph symbol grew brighter.

The General's eyes flickered to my shoulder, and his furious face frowned in confusion. I closed my eyes. Dammit…

With one hard yank with General ripped my sleeve down. Great, now I was going to have sew this shirt up again. This is the bloody third time.

The General brought out a small pocket knife and slid it down my glowing material that covered my Symbol. I hissed as I felt the knife piece my skin slightly.

The material feel away and the white bluey glow of my symbol filled the room.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**Good? Bad? Evil? REVIEW!**


	10. Discovery

**Yo,**

**I know i haven't posted on this story for a LLLOOONNNGGG time, but please don't give up faith. I WILL finish this story. I'm currently studying for year 12, but the moment i have finished, it is my number one goal to finish ALL my stories. I have about 4 that need to be finished off.**

**Once again, thankyou for all the reviews and please, PLEASE don't give up on me!**

**Fly On...**

**Heart of Diamond**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Legend of the Seraph

Chapter 10: Discovery

Max POV

The General backed away from me, his knife dropping from his hands. He didn't even notice me grab the knife with my foot and kick it over to Fang. I kept my eyes on him though. My face completely and utterly blank.

I heard some of the Erasers behind me, shift their feet nervously.

"The Seraph," The General whispered. "You're the Seraph?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Nah, I'm a pigeon."

The General's shocked face narrowed back. "Strip."

Out of the corner of my eye, Fang went solid stiff. I even thought I heard a furious growl whisper though his lips.

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

He ignored my question. "Cut her ropes."

The Eraser behind me shuffled back. I twisted my body around and gave them a smile. They shuffled back even further.

Cowards.

"Fools!" The General shouted, unable to hide back his fear. "Cut her ropes now!"

One Eraser was brave enough to edge forward. He eyed me warily as he slid out his knife and cut my ropes. The moment my wrists were free he jumped backwards.

I brought my wrists around in front of me. The skin where the ropes were tied was bright red and in patches the skin was bleeding.

"I suspect," I began glancing up at the General. "That you want me to strip so you can see these."

I snapped my wings out, loving the feeling of the air brushing my feathers. The General stumbled backwards, past the desk. His face registered only shock.

I knew this was our chance.

"NOW!" I shouted.

Everything happened so fast.

I dived straight for my sword, pulling it out of my sheath, a chime ringing around the room. Fang lunged for the nearest Eraser, slamming his hands on the Eraser's temple. A second was all it took to strip the energy from him. Nudge screamed a spell. Her hands erupted into red hot flames, disintegrating the rope.

"GET OUT!" I roared at the Erasers. My wings snapped out angrily and both the Seraph symbol on my blade and shoulder flared.

The Erasers scrambled towards the exit. The General tried to make a run for it too, but I place the edge of my blade of his back, halting him immediately.

"You're not going anywhere," I growled.

At this point, both Nudge and Fang were gearing back up. Fang buckled his knife sheaths over his calves, while Nudge slipped her quiver and bow over her shoulder.

The General raised his arms in surrender, tuning around slowly. "You're not going to win."

"Did I ask you to talk?" I snapped.

The General ignored me, a creepy smile lifting onto his face. "Lord Garth will defeat you. He has the magic from the Vases. He will get hold of the Script of Itex and destroy you."

I couldn't help but grin. "You obviously haven't heard the news then. The Script of Itex is destroyed. Poof, gone."

The General's face dropped, I felt a wave of victory rise up within me.

Nudge fitted an arrow into her bow before raising it in aim at the General. "It's ok Max. I've got him."

The Head Eraser caught it and stared at me. "Max, eh?"

"Hey!" Nudge called, grabbing the General's attention. "Shut it dog."

I ignored him as I reached for my sheath tying it around my waist. Fang passed me my hunting knives and I slipped them onto the rightful place on my belt.

Without any warning, the General lunged at me, a knife appearing in his hands. Nudge was quick. She pushed me backwards sending me flying to the wall. I crashed straight under the Vases of Supremacy.

The shelf holding the precious vases collapsed.

Again everything happened so quickly.

Fang pounced onto the General, trapping his arms behind his back. As much as the general tried to struggle, I knew Fang was using extra energy he had got from the Eraser and using it as strength.

The four vases crashed to the ground beside me. Their lids lazily slipping off and… suddenly, I felt the magic.

It was in the air, but now it was so thick I could see it. It was a mist of silver, but I knew that mist held a LOT of magic. I could see the mist moving, flowing like a river current.

Heading straight towards Nudge.

Nudge's bow and arrow dropped to the ground, cluttering on the wooden floor. A gasp escaped her lips. I realised instantly what was happening.

Nudge had pushed me into the wall. She caused the vases to crash and the lids to open.

She was absorbing the ancient magic from _four_ vases. _Four!_

The mist soaked into her skin. I watched as Nudge's eyes clouded white as she absorbed the magic. Her skin glowed, softly then brighter. Her wisps of hair stood out as if she was being electrocuted.

Fang, The General and I stared at Nudge. We watched as the last of the magic from the Vases being absorbed into Nudge. Nudge breathed out and opened her eyes.

I edged back slightly. The fury. It was in her eyes. It was in her clenched jaw. Her hands curled up into fists.

She opened her mouth, yet her words weren't her own. It came out as if a thousand voices were speaking, both female and male, child and adult.

"FOOLS!" She screamed. "YOU CAME HERE AND DISTORIED US ONCE BEFORE! YOU CRUSHED OUR HOMES, OUR CHILDREN, OUR LIVES."

I realised who was speaking through Nudge.

It was the souls. The souls of the dead wizards of Mystic.

I'm not scared of many things in my life. But to see the souls of dead wizards invaded Nudge's body… The amount of magic that I could feel in the air… I have never been more terrified.

The General dropped onto his knees and Fang let him go. Fang edged his way over to me, eyeing Nudge warily. Once he was over to me, he helped me stand. He too must have been somewhat scared because he brought an arm around my shoulder and held me close to him.

Nudge's eyes seemed to be on fire as she stared at the General. The souls of Mystic spoke again. "AND HERE YOU ARE, FOOLISH ENOUGH TO THINK YOU CAN RETURN AND TAKE AWAY THE ONLY THING THAT REMAINS? OUR MAGIC?"

The General was shaking visibly. I could only imagine what he must be feeling. The terror.

"P-p-please…" The General begged. His hands clasped in front of him. Pleading. "Have m-mercy…"

Nudge bared her teeth. The air moved around her, sweeping up dust. Her hair frayed out, sparking with electricity.

"MERCY?" The souls roared. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF MERCY! YOU DISTROYED US WHEN WE MEANT NO HARM! MERCY IS THE LAST THING WE WILL EVER GIVE YOUR KIND!"

Without warning, Nudge thrust her hand towards the General. A stream of fire shot out and engulfed the Eraser almost instantly.

The Generals scream was bloody curdling. Without even thinking, I gripped Fang tighter and burrowed my head into his chest. He held me securely.

I didn't watch. I couldn't. This magic was far more powerful that anything I had ever imagined. It scared me, because I knew that if these souls were after vengeance, not even Lord Garth would be able to stop them tearing both the Northern and Southern lands apart.

The screams died and it was only then did I dare myself to look up. The General now lay in a black heap consumed by red and orange flames. Nudge waved her hand and the flames disappeared. The General's body dissolved into black ash. I watched it fly around the room, covering the place.

It was then did Nudge turn to Fang and I.

Immediately I stiffened. Fang tensed in a way that signalled he was ready for an attack, but to my surprise Nudge gave us a smile.

"Seraph." The voices of Mystic chimed around the room. The Souls were calmer, softer. I couldn't help but relax more.

"We have waited for this time to come," the souls said.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I whispered.

The souls laughed. It was strange. Sounds of children, women and men all laughing at once. The sudden sound surprised me and I tensed up again.

"Don't be afraid, Seraph," The Dead wizards spoke again. "We mean you no harm."

I forced myself to relax. Breathe Max, breathe.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "I mean, shouldn't your souls have been taken to the beyond?"

"All our Magic and our souls have been crushed under the earth. The magic stone has trapped us here and we've been unable to escape."

"Quartz," Fang whispered.

"But since Mystic has been dug up," The voices spat. "Our magic has escaped. Magic can't be controlled, but it seeks out those who are worthy of its power. Innocence."

Innocence. It clicked. I gasped instantly. "The children? The children have been absorbing your magic?"

Nudge nodded for the souls. "The children now process the magic and knowledge of Mystic. They will be able to continue the line of the ancestors."

Fang looked at me and I glanced at him. The kids of Wintervalley had absorbed the magic of Mystic?

"Seraph, our time in this world is short now that Mystic has been opened," The souls said softly. "You have a dangerous quest, one that could end in great misery or great happiness. That is why we offer you a gift. A voice of guidance."

I hesitated. "A voice?"

Nudge nodded again. "Yes. Jebediah Batchelder is an excellent teacher, but his knowledge comes from a different region to ours. He possesses knowledge we know not of, while we possess knowledge unknown to him. A voice of guidance will give you the knowledge that Jebediah doesn't possess."

I bowed slightly. "It's an honour."

The souls smiled as Nudge held up her hand. "Take our hand."

_Our _hand?

Fang gave me a concerned look, but I nodded to him. I was still terrified, but the way the voices spoke to me… it was like I was a child a whole village treasured.

I took careful steps forward, reaching my hand out. Slowly Nudge took my hand in mine.

Something shot up my arm, causing me to gasp. It wasn't cold, nor hot. It just felt like my blood was suddenly flowing up my arm. Most defiantly the strangest sensation I had ever felt.

It didn't last long. Only about 5 seconds or so, but when Nudge let go, my whole arm felt like it weighed a ton. I stumbled gasping as I tried to lift my throbbing arm. In a split second, Fang had his arms around me again, giving hesitant and suspicious glances at Nudge.

Just then there was a faint Boom in the air. All heads snapped to the window watching the sky light up with red sparks.

The flare.

The souls smiled on Nudge's face. "It is time."

I snapped my head back to the souls. "What about Nudge?"

"The Wizardette is stronger than you think. With the knowledge of 4 ancestral lines, she is a powerful ally, but you must warn her that her new magic can overpower her. She must remain strong."

I nodded carefully, taking it all in. The souls sighed. "We must part with you Seraph. We give you our blessing and we will always have faith in you."

Before I could let another word out, Nudge's eyes closed. I could feel the magic in the air shift and I almost sensed the souls leaving from her.

There was a moment of stillness in the room, before a calm and gentle sigh escaped Nudge's lips.

Her eyes opened.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxoxoxo**

**Please Review!**


End file.
